A/N Time for a little backstory. Nico is several months pregnant and has sent Maki to meet Umi in Tokyo to hunt for redecoration supplies. Over dinner, most of μ's reminds Maki of how well she handled pregnancy.
New Year's Eve Surprise
Tokyo was bustling, Maki was grumbling. Umi watched as the notoriously temperamental redhead shoved through people, showing very little concern for her fellow pedestrians. Time for an intervention. Umi grabbed her friend's arm and swung her into the nearest cafe, "We are taking a break, Maki. Someone's going to recognize you at this rate and the crowds will get worse."
Maki tipped back her ballcap and removed her shades once Umi sat her at a table in a quiet corner. No matter how often Nico insisted and packed them for her, Maki refused to wear a mask. Or not laugh at her wife when Nico was in full on disguise mode, which Maki thought only made her stand out more. And look ridiculous. Maki had gotten Nico to stop suggesting the trench coat as a clothing option for her, by threatening to wear it out with nothing underneath the next time Nico mentioned it, while modelling the effect. Neither had left the bedroom that day.
"What's up?" Umi put down one coffee for Maki and a mocha for herself.
"Nico sends me off to Tokyo, when I want to stay home with her and Dia, with a list from Kotori I am not to deviate from and orders to drain my trust, if I have to." Maki sighed, "And her rationale is "no one says no to a pregnant woman." I don't remember her believing that when I was."
Umi snorted.
"What?" Maki glared.
"Really. Did you think getting a visit from one of us nearly every day while Nico was touring was a coincidence? She learned to work a spreadsheet to organize the "Maki-chan's a Baby" schedule."
Maki huffed "I…I…I was not."
"She enforced the schedule ruthlessly. Text reminders and follow up calls. And we all had to keep telling her how miserable you were because you wouldn't." Umi sipped her mocha, watching her friend react.
Maki fidgeted with her coffee, "I didn't want Nico to feel guilty." A sigh, "I don't know what I would have done if her visa hadn't been denied."
Umi choked on her mocha.
"What?"
"Is that what she told you?" Umi smiled, reminded of Nico's truth stretching tendencies, "I always wondered."
"Wondered what?" Maki was instantly suspicious.
"Nothing." Umi swigged her mocha, "Drink your coffee. We're nearly at the first stop on Kotori's list.
"Umi." Maki growled.
Umi swirled the liquid in the bottom of her cup, thoughtful, "Nico cancelled the second half of that tour. She paid everyone out of pocket. I think your mother might have loaned her some of the money."
Maki crushed her cup, a mistake as liquid went splashing over the top, soaking her driving gloves, "Nico never said anything, Mama never…" Tears started in Maki's eyes.
"Are you only just now realizing how much your wife actually cares about you?" Umi was bemused, especially at the blush Maki could never control.
"N…no. I know that. She shouldn't have lied…" Maki peeled off her gloves and chugged the remnants of coffee.
Umi shrugged. "It's Nico. Nico always does what Nico thinks is best. You know that."
Maki started shredding her empty cup. This was setting a record for coffee shop meltdown, Umi realized. Maki wasn't making eye contact and her voice was soft, "I'm worried about Nico. I hate leaving her."
"Kotori and Honoka can handle anything. And isn't Cotarou there to help with Dia?" Umi reached behind her for her jacket.
Maki continued to tear her cup into even smaller pieces, "Well, yes, but Nico's been in such a …."
"Maki," Umi took her friend by the shoulders, her voice firm, "We are buying everything on Kotori's list, then we are meeting Eli, Nozomi, Rin and Hanayo for dinner. You need a night off. Your family is fine. Call to check on Nico and Dia later."
Talk over dinner had turned to various pregnancy stories, starting with Eli's fainting when the doctor told them Nozomi was having twins. And Rin's continuous state of low level panic until the first time Tora kicked inside her. And then, they got to the night Dia was born. Maki had refused to drink anything in case she had to rush to Nico's side, but Nozomi had indulged in a good bit of wine and was in 'push Maki's buttons' mode. Eli, of course, still being Eli, just gazed adoringly at her wife as Nozomi teased and Maki got more and more flustered.
"I remember you begging Nico to do the New Year's Eve Charity concert, so she wouldn't stop loving you because you being near delivery was stopping her from performing for her favorite event." Nozomi pointed at Maki.
"Did not happen." Maki stated slowly, almost wishing she could have a whiskey, but the thought of Nico potentially in distress pushed that away.
Rin giggled. Hanayo just shook her head at her friend.
Maki continued, voice firm. "It didn't. I just thought it would be a shame if Nico-chan missed a show she'd done for the past 6 years. Dia wasn't due for three weeks. And I felt fine."
"So fine," Rin almost bounced her head off the table as the laughing fit took her over, but Hanayo held her back, "So fine, you were on the phone to me during the rehearsal livestream, crying about how many dancers were throwing themselves at Nico and how little clothing they were wearing and how Nico would forget you because you were so…"
"Shut it, Rin." Maki snarled and chopped the ginger's head.
"And then you convinced Honoka to take you to the concert." Umi shook her head at the memory.
"You were there too," Eli pointed out.
"We all know that if Honoka-chan or Kotori-chan wants to do something, Umi-chan can't say no. When are you having the next μ's baby, Umi-chan?" Nozomi leered as Umi tried to look indignant but could only blush as Nozomi continued, "Kotori-chan says it might be soon."
"Nozomi!" Umi shouted as Rin jumped up and cheered, drawing the stares of the crowd at the bar.
Maki wondered if sneaking out of the restaurant now under the pretext of needing to use the restroom would work, but a hand clamped on her forearm stopped Maki's exit as Nozomi continued to loudly tell the story.
"So there you were, waddling backstage, glaring at dancers, with Nico-chi onstage singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You" when the show suddenly stops because because Umi has her stage manager tell Nico-chi through her headset that you insisted on being backstage."
"I was there, Nozomi. I remember." Maki groaned, "Please stop."
Nozomi threw her arm around Maki's shoulders, "I could see this part from the seat Nico had given me, you in the wings of the stage, suddenly collapsing because your water broke and you had no idea what was happening, Nico hearing you cry out "Nico-chan" as she turned to see where you were and then sprinting off stage, talking a mile a minute with her stage manager on the headset, kneeling down to help you up, whispering something in Honoka's ear and then Honoka pushed Umi onstage. The audience had no idea what was going on."
"Neither did I," Maki muttered, still embarrassed by the situation she'd gotten herself into. But as much as Nozomi had teased her over the years about that night, Nico never had.
"It had been years since I'd sang in public." Umi grumped, "But neither Honoka or Nico would listen."
"I thought Honoka did remarkably well with Eli's part of Storm-In Lover." Nozomi smiled, "And then Kotori joined them and the original μ's members had a reunion concert."
"While Nico got Maki-chan into a helicopter she'd had Maki-chan's mom send and Maki had Dia just after midnight at the hospital. Good job, Maki-chan." Rin hugged her best friend and Maki leaned into it a little. Her pregnancy had overlapped Rin's and their experiences had brought the two friends even closer. But not as close as Dia's birth had brought Maki to Nico. Maki still remembered it vividly. Nico so worried, holding Maki's hand so tightly starting when they loaded Maki into the helicopter, Nico hadn't even bothered to change out of her sweaty costume, although someone had tossed her a jacket. Maki could feel Nico shivering, but so much was happening and Maki had focused on pushing through the pain of contractions. And then there was Dia, wrapped up and being handed to Nico and Maki heard a sniffle from her wife.
"Nico-chan? Is something wrong?" Maki felt weak, but Nico's cry triggered an adrenalin rush and she tried to sit up.
Nico shook her head and brought the baby over to Maki, handling their firstborn so gently, so tenderly, with so much love, her ruby eyes full of pride and wonder, and perhaps, Maki realized, a bit of terror.
"N…no." Nico's smile was brighter than Maki had ever seen it, her hand lovingly stroking Maki's cheek, "I just have two of you to take care of now. You did so well, Maki-chan. I love you." Nico leaned down to kiss Maki on the forehead as Maki looked down at their daughter, dark hair like Nico's and light, bright eyes.
Suddenly waking from her reverie, Maki realized she needed to see both wife and daughter as soon possible, "I have to go."
"Wait, Maki, we're not done talking." Nozomi tried to pull Maki back in her seat.
"I am." The redhead smiled at her friend, "I have a pregnant wife who's probably craving something I can pick up on the way home."
Eli grinned and gave Maki a thumbs up, pulling Nozomi into a distracting hug.
Umi stood, "I'll drive."
"You go too slow, Umi." Rin tapped the dark haired woman's arm, "Maki wants to be home before dawn."
"Maki wants to be home in one piece." Umi countered. Maki walked out ahead of Umi, waving goodbye to everyone. Maki loved her friends, but she'd had enough Tokyo for awhile. She didn't think she would ever have enough Nico.
Nico had piled every blanket in the house on top of her, but she still wasn't warm enough. Why had she forced Maki to go to Tokyo? Because she was worried Maki would get bored with redecorating the nursery? Because Nico felt grumpy and out of sorts and was worried Maki would get exasperated with her mood swings? Because someone should have fun? Nico couldn't remember the reason but she regretted it now, alone in their bed, cold and uncomfortable. And then the door to their bedroom slid open and a familiar voice whispered "Nico-chan?"
Nico sat up, "Maki! You're supposed to be in Tokyo having fun."
Maki dropped her jacket on the floor and threw herself into the bed, next to Nico, wrapping the other woman into a nearly suffocating hug, "It's not fun without Nico."
Nico enjoyed the warmth until she realized she was having trouble breathing. There was also the baby to think of, "Maki-chan, Nico can't breathe."
Maki didn't let Nico go, but she did lift the still smaller woman into her lap, adjusting her embrace and the blankets so that Nico was cozy in a nest, cuddled against Maki's chest. Ruby kicked a little under her hand and Maki was again amazed at the feel of having Nico and their child in her arms, at the tenderness and love flowing through Nico. Nico snuggled, her head on Maki's shoulder, "You're so warm. We missed you."
"I missed you, Nico-chan." And as Nico started to fall asleep again, Maki promised herself that when Nico got close to her due date, Maki would be there every minute. She knew far far too well how frantic pregnancy could make you and a distressed, pregnant Nico wandering anywhere, hysterical and in search of her was terrifying to contemplate. She needed to think about calmer things. After all, soon Maki would have three people to take care of. She couldn't wait.